The Bearer of Evil Seeds
by Ten ways to spoil dinner
Summary: Fates intertwine. A Knight, and an Evil sword. A Hero, and a Madman. The King of Evil wishes to escape his prison. The sword wishes for its body. The Knight wishes to forgive his sin. The Hero wishes for good to prevail. In the end, all life intertwines.
1. Prologue

Okay, this is the first chapter to my Zelda/Soul Caliber X-over. Just so you know, this chapter, for the most part, will be explaining, because a lot of things that have happened in the Soul series will affect this story, but a few things in the game's history conflict with other's, so I have attempted to make a time line. Mostly Siegfried Centric. I will note that I have changed a few things around, because.. Well, it makes it fit.

* * *

Soul Edge and Soul Caliber were made thousands of years ago by a man named Algol. Many people sought these swords after their creator's death, and many people died trying to obtain them.

In the 1570s a pirate by the name of Cervantes by chance had come upon the sword Soul Edge. But when wielding it, was driven mad. He attacked his own pirate crew, and a nearby port town.

It wasn't until years later when a Greek Warrior named Sophitia, and a Ninja, Taki, had defeated him when soul edge ha been defeated, or so they thought.

In 1591, a German-Born swordsman named Siegfried found Cervantes' ship, and the evil sword. He picked the sword up, and went to leave the ship. But before he could, a revived Cervantes stood in his way. After a brief Skirmish, Siegfried won the fight. Soul Edge then promised the man the power to protect what was his in exchange for gaining the fragments of soul edge that had been taken from it after its last fight. Siegfried agreed, and upon that day, something inexplicable happened. There was a large flash, knocking the man out. This light created creatures known as 'Evils', beings who were truly humans who were contaminated by the light, the darkness within them coming out.

For the next few month's Siegfried helped the Holy Roman empire by fighting against the Ottoman Empire's sultan, Baramos. Baramos, though, had acquired Soul Caliber, though he used it for evil. Helping him was the court jester, Iska. Along their travels, they found allies in many people, including Sophitia and Taki, the two two had sealed the sword in the first place, only helping Siegfried because of Baramos' threat. They also met the Samurai, Mitsirugi, a prototype Golem Astaroth (Not the same from later in the series, though), a boy named Lloyd Irving, and Ivy Valentine, the daughter of Cervantes, thought She did not know at the time.

They gathered the shards of Soul Edge, reawakening it from its weakened state. They battled Baramos, and won, taking Soul Caliber. Soon after, the Masked Emperor of the Roman Empire took Soul Caliber from Siegfried, attempting to kill the man, proclaiming that She needed to destroy all threats to her empire, and needed both swords to do so.

During the fight, both Soul Edge and Caliber clashed, causing something akin to the first light Soul Edge created, only this one was by Caliber.

The gang then went on to adventure through Europe and Asia to defeat the Roman forces, and finally clash with the emperor herself.

But after killing the emperor, Siegfried learned that the She was only a homunculus, a puppet created by Iska. The boy stated that eventually, everyone betrayed you. He took both soul caliber and soul edge, and dueled Siegfried. Luckily, Siegfried had picked up another sword before this encounter, named Requiem. In the end, Iska died.

After that battle, Siegfried took Soul Edge, determined to seal it once and for all, but, unfortunately, soul edge took over Siegfried's body, becoming the Azure Knight 'Nightmare'

Nightmare went on a killing spree, employing the help of several people to collect souls for him so he could become more powerful. He employed Astaroth, a newer version of the same golem Siegfried had worked with. He also worked with Ivy, whom had plotted to destroy soul edge when the time comes.

In the end, Three people followed Nightmare to the Ostrheinsburg castle, where one, Maxi, fought with Astaroth, while the other two fought Nightmare. One apparently held Soul Caliber, and used it to defeat Nightmare, freeing Siegfried.

Not long later, Siegfried began having nightmares where he is killing people without mercy. He soon finds out that it is Nightmare, seeking to regain control of his body. Luckily, a Frenchman, named Raphael, fought Nightmare. During the fight, Siegfried gained enough control to let the Frenchman stab Soul Edge's eye with his rapier, hopefully destroying it...

That is where this story takes off from. Siegfried, thinking that soul edge was gone, went on to live off the lands, becoming something like a mercenary. He regained Requiem, and decided that he would never again hold an evil sword. As to what happened to all of the other allies he had made... their destinies are still intertwined with his, as is Soul Edge's. For you see, this is one legend that had not yet died. And this legend is about to become one with another legend. A legend of a boy who changed his country forever. A boy named Link.

* * *

The wind whistled quietly over the grassy knolls of the Plains. This place was quite a beauty in springtime, especially the flowers. Link had always loved Hyrule at this time. The beauty constantly reminded the eighteen year-old Hylian that even though Hyrule has suffered greatly, there was still much to adore.

He took in a deep breath, contemplating whether or not to go to Hyrule Castle. He could, but would not be able to take the smell of all of the smoke and sweat of the people. He was at home in nature, likely because he had grown up in a forest. He looked to the horse that stood next to him, the horse's red fur looking almost matted against her shining white mane.

Link jumped on his horse, Epona, looking northward, to the castle. He wouldn't have gone, but Zelda had asked him too, and, as the Queen of Hyrule, She was someone you did not want to disobey.

Link rode quickly to castle town, leaving Epona in a stable just outside the town. He made sure to pay the stableman thirty rupees for his services.

As he entered Castle Town, he noted a pungent smell coming off from some o the townsfolk. He knew bathing was uncustomary among most common folk, mostly due to water shortages, but sometimes it seemed unbearable. Link sometimes wondered what he smelt like. Whether or not he smelt nice, or just like everyone else. He did bathe, because the forest was rich in water, unlike town.

He walked through the town, making his way to where the royal guard stood. Right at the gates. The two gave Link a hero's salute before opening the gates for him. Link was still getting used to such treatment. After all, he had only been a hero for a year. He still got autograph requests or the occasional marriage proposal.

He made his way up a large dirt path, past a few flower beds, where Link took in the aroma of sweet lilacs and roses. He neared the castle, getting more salutes. He remembered the eight years ago, he had to sneak into this place. Now, they called him here. Letting go of his nostalgic thoughts for a moment, he walked across a small drawbridge, and into the castle.

Inside the castle was indeed glamorous. The walls were covered in paintings of past monarchs, and even one of their current Queen, Zelda. As of now, She had not been betrothed, which seemed to be a wise decision, for now was not the time for such trivial matters such as romance. Or so, Zelda had said to her suitors.

Link entered the audience room, a large room with banners of gold and green, and a blue carpet that stretched to a flight of steps, going up, and stopping at the Queen's feet. Zelda sat there garbed in purple, gold, and white. She wore an elegantly designed dress, adorned with the symbols of Hyrule, including the Triforce.

Link kneeled before her, head bowed, waiting for either Zelda to speak, or for her to signify him to speak. The queen smiled, then spoke, "You really do not need to act so knightly around me, Link. After all, we have been friends for years. Please, try to make yourself a bit more comfortable." Link looked up, standing. He nodded.

"Queen Zelda-" He began.

"Please, just Zelda," She corrected in a quiet, sweet, voice.

"Zelda, I am here on your word, so I take it that you wish for me to do something?" He asked.

Zelda gave a curt nod. She knew Link didn't do everything she said. After all, he was truly a citizen of the forest, and she had no power over him, but she knew he was trustworthy, and did as asked, usually. "Yes. You see, lately, in Hyrule there have been several cases of missing people. At first, it seemed inconspicuous, but as more people have begun to go missing, my worry has increased. Also, recently, an unknown cult has moved into this region, from a far-off land. I have little information on what they seek, here, in Hyrule, but I do know they are connected to the missing people. I ask you a favor, to go and seek the cult- This Fygal Cestemus -and find out their connection to the missing people. I have an informant who has discovered a base where they reside. It is in Death Mountain, far below in a cave, much deeper than the Gorons dare venture. If you ask for their help, I am sure Darunia will assist you."

At the mention of his Goron 'Foster Brother', Link grinned. He knew somewhere along the lines, he would fight alongside him again, just as he did in the Fire Temple.

"So, am I free to go?" Link asked, joking. Of course he was, he was always free to come and go.

Zelda just smiled and waved as the adventurer in green left, wearing nothing but a shield and sword on his back.

* * *

He looked all around. He had thought it over. He thought the terror was gone for good. It was impossible. There were dead bodies laying askew across the small village. Had he done this? No, he couldn't have. He had never been here before, but maybe.. Just maybe, it was something else.

Siegfried stood in the middle of the small village, right next to a small well, and several cottages. He couldn't believe his eyes. It had happened again. Nightmare had taken control of him _again_. But how? Soul edge had been sealed away. Besides, Siegfried woke up in the same spot he fell asleep, and he had never been here before. It had to be someone else, but the bodies. They seemed so similar to the one's slaughtered by Nightmare. The same gash marks on their sides. Bodies torn in half, and their expressionless faces.

He walked through the small town, nearing the edge. He felt a strong presence up ahead. But this presence couldn't have been Nightmare. It wasn't as strong. It seemed familiar, though.

He ran at full speed, taking his large sword, Requiem, in his hands. He kept on running, even when his body began to fee like it was on fire. As he ran, the presence kept becoming stronger until... nothing.

Siegfried opened his eyes. Was it only a dream? He just lay their, the only motion being the flickering of his eyelids, and the steady breaths in which he took. He was in the middle of a forest, full of evergreen trees and deciduous trees. He stood, using Requiem to help himself up. He didn't know why he kept having those nightmares. He had seen Soul Edge's destruction. Wasn't that proof enough that enough that Nightmare was gone? The darkness was gone!

"Maybe... I'm just imagining things," He told himself, beginning a slow walk. His heavy armor didn't damper his movements, nor did his large sword.

Soon, he knew, he would face an evil being again, but he didn't know if it would be Nightmare. Maybe he was imagining things... Maybe he wasn't.

* * *

End of the Prologue/first chapter. Starting next chapter, there will be some fighting, and maybe some characters from one world meeting another. I dunno... I'll go where this takes me.


	2. Chapter 2

Link rode Epona as far as he could, leaving her outside of Kakariko village as he headed into the small village. He noted that this place seemed fresher than castle town. It was likely due to the fact that this village was much less populated than the crowded Castle Town.

He walked up a flight of stone stairs, heading to the edge of the small village, and towards the mountain. He looked to the sky, seeing a ring of smoke surrounding the large mountain, although it was more of a volcano.

He knew that he would need to meet up with Darunia before he could descend into the caves. After all, who would know better than a goron? He headed up the mountain trail, unsheathing his sword, as he knew that red tektites were common in this area.

As he walked up the mountain, everything seemed quiet. No Gorons were out, rolling around, like usual. This worried the green garbed hero. Goron's were always out. He also noticed the lack of tektites as he reached Dodongo's cave. There were usually some near here.

He looked over at the cave, then up the mountain. The next path was clear, as he made his way up the next trail. He sheathed his sword, and started a run, knowing that something was wrong. He made it to the end of the trail seeing the entrance to the Goron's city.

He peered in, staying quiet. He didn't know what was going on, but there seemed to be quite a lot of noise coming from inside the cave. He heard people murmuring quiet words of suspicion. He took a few steps forward, looking down to the bottom floor from the top. He saw a large crowd of Gorons standing in the middle, their giant statue having been moved. There was another goron in front of them, speaking.

"We will not stand for this. These... These Fygul Cestemus will be stopped. They have committed a crime that cannot be forgiven. To steal our patriarch is amongst the highest crimes." Link gasped as heard the goron speak. They kidnaped Darunia. This just gave Link another reason to fight them.

"And, now, they have gone so far as to try an kidnap others! They are monsters, hiding in cloaks of red, and fighting with ferocious tactics. I saw we fight back. I say we fight them! I say we go down there, where they took Darunia, and take him back!"

There was a roar from the crowd, seemingly agreeing. Link smiled, looking down on the crowd. He sat down, legs dangling off the edge. The goron speaker looked up. "Hm... Link!" He exclaimed, obviously seeing him.

Link gave him a salute as he jumped down from the ledge, landing in a roll. He got up, rubbing his back. Rolling may lessen any damage on his legs, but wearing a metal shield while doing so hurt his back. It felt like the Megaton Hammer had just hit him.

"Heh, somehow I knew you would arrive sooner or later," The goron speaker spoke as he walked forward to Link. "So, are you here to fight the monsters with us?"

Link nodded, "They captured Darunia. I have to. But I would have either way. You know me, can't resist fighting the bad guys," He said, grinning. "But where are the Fygul Cestemus. Where do they hide?"

"In a deep cave past the Dodongo's cavern. We have reasons to believe they are using magic to perform tests on Darunia. We know not what, but we know that some of them... aren't like anything we've seen before. They were humans for the most part, but some... some were like Lizalfos, only shorter, thicker skinned, and more violent. Also, they could speak our tongue."

Link nodded. Then they probably won't be too much harder to fight."

"We can hope, but from what I have seen, they can be quite tactical." The goron turned and walked towards Darunia's room. "Come, I shall show you a map. It should prove useful. After all, there are so many caves... we may end up separated."

Link followed after. The two entered Darunia's chambers. The room wasn't very large, and the only things here were desks, a large statue that hid a cave that Link had used before, and some torches. The goron strode to the desk, picking up papers that had been placed about. "Hm... now where is that little thing?" He asked himself, finally picking up a small piece of parchment. He turned, handing it to Link. "Here. It should help, lest you get lost and... well, let's think positively."

Link nodded, taking the map, and putting it away in his tunic. "Lead the way," Link said with a half-smile. The two exited the room, now heading for the cave.

* * *

Siegfried sighed, walking through the thick foliage of a large forested area. He had heard rumors, rumors of rumors, if truth be told, that a knight in Azure colored armor had passed through this area. The person was quiet, and seemed reclusive. But Siegfried couldn't understand one thing. Was it nightmare? After all, Nightmare had been sealed. And, besides, this figure hadn't killed anybody. That was unlike Nightmare had been.

He had also heard other rumors. These were of the place he was heading for. The rumors were that, passed a large chain of mountains, there was a country. This country was virtually unknown to the world. They say that, due to circumstances, it was near impossible to leave this land. Only once had someone left, but it had driven him mad, or so it was told. He had told others of a land where the impossible was possible. Where the inhabitants could do anything, so long as they were strong enough. The survivor even said of this child. This child in green, he said, held a sword that was said to match any other. 'It was a holy sword, I say, that could defeat Soul Edge _and _Soul Calibur.' He was deemed mad because it was impossible. Only those two swords could defeat each other.

Siegfried had decided to test this out. He would enter this land, especially if Nightmare was there, and would find out if these tales were true. If there was a sword that could defeat those two swords, he needed to find its wielder. The wielder would be able to end this all, then. He could destroy both swords, and end the circle.

* * *

The goron led Link,, and five other gorons to a small large cave entrance, slightly smaller than the one to Dodongo's cavern. There was an odd symbol above the cave, but Link had no idea what it meant. He presumed it was the cult's symbol.

The sized seven group entered the cave, Link and the goron, Nibun, who had given him the map, led the way, the other five following close behind. The gorons carried no weapon, for their superb strength would be enough for a fight, but Link had his sword and shield at the ready

Link looked over at Nibun, who was carrying his own map, and asked, "Which way?"

The goron, took the map out, opening it. "We shall head down as far as we can, until we reach a split. There we will have to cut our little team, here, in half.-"

"Two and a half gorons? I dunno. Sounds kinda risky. I don't know about you, but sawing one of these guys in half doesn't sound like a bright idea." Link was joking, of course, and Nibun was one to recognize them.

"Heh, well, I'm sure we'll find a way," The goron answered, grinning.

Link smirked. Considering how long they had been walking, he was sure they would reach the end of this stone corridor soon. As he had expected, they did.

"I'll take the right, you take the left," Nibun suggested. Link nodded, going down the left path of the fork, while Nibun, and three gorons went to the right.

Link smiled as they ran. So, they wouldn't cut a goron in half.; he wouldn't need a larger number on his team, anyhow. HE was a seasoned fighter, after all.

Link ran at full speed, the gorons following close behind. Link knew, by what he had seen on his map, that they would seen enter a rather large cave, where there would be a long, and somewhat wide, strip of land, crossing a chasm.

Less than a minute later, they had reached the stip of land, but stopped, as Link had thought he had heard something. They ducked behind a stalagmite, rising from he ground above their heads while standing. They peeked out, seeing four creatures standing on the small strip of land. They were indeed similar to lizalfos'

Link already had his weapons drawn, but these creatures seemed to have them strapped to their backs. That meant they weren't prepared for a fight. They had the element of suprise on their side, then.

Link looked to the other three. "We'll charge in their. If what Nibun said was true, they are vicious, meaning they won't run, but with the element of surprise, we should be able to win this," He whispered the plan to them.

The gorons nodded, preparing themselves for the oncoming fight.

Link dashed out from behind the large rock, the only sounds coming from his boots clicking on the ground, and his sword, seemingly, cutting through the air as he brought it up, ready to strike.

The gorons ran as well, but weren't as fast because they were made of rock. They wielded no weapons, as gorons were better trained for physical attacks, and were trained in the arts of wrestling.

Link ran up to one of the five lizalfos, slashing at the unsuspecting creature. His sword pierced the nape of its neck, slashing upwards through the throat. The creature quickly drew its weapon, a short sword and a small round shield. Link was surprised it wasn't dead. Most creatures wouldn't be able to survive such a strike.

The creature charged forward, leaping up at Link, who brought his shield up in the nick of time. Their was a loud _ping_ as metal hit metal, The attacks recoil affecting both sides. Link took a step back, now knowing not to underestimate these beings. They were tougher than they appeared.

Link ran at the monster again, spinning, using his sword to repeatedly slash at the creature. He had to have hit it at least six times. Or, at least that was how many visible wounds were on its chest. The creature opened its mouth. Link wasn't sure what to expect from this. Maybe it was going to howl, or maybe spit at him? Link began to feel chilly as a blue mist slowly crept up from the creature's mouth, until blasted it towards the Hylian.

Using his excellent reflexes, he dodged the attack with a back flip, then jumping forward as he saw the blue mist disappear, and did a downward slash, cutting the creatures skull in half. The creature would have to be dead. He looked towards the two gorons, seeing them wrestling with the creatures now. One had the creature in something like a headlock, slowly nearing the edge of the land. The goron heaved the lizard over the ledge and into the abyss. The other was in a bind, fighting two lizard creatures at a time. A sword had just bounced off his rock-like skin as he punched one back into a large boulder. The other lizard used this as his chance to act, spinning low, and using his tail to trip the goron.

Link swiftly acted, jumping at the creature and stabbing into its back. He quickly rose his leg up, kicking it off his sword, red liquid staining the holy blade. Link saw where the lizard lay, now. On its side, howling in pain. The goron it had tried to attack moments ago rose a hand, slamming it down on the creatures head, putting i out of its misery.

Link sighed, looking at the end of the strip of land. There hadn't been many guards here. Only five. I guess they weren't expecting a large group of people fighting them. Link headed for the end, and the gorons followed.

The exit led them to another cave, but this one seemed smaller, and a littler bit more smooth. The rock was flatter, and seemed almost polished. Link noted that, that the deeper they went into the cave, the smoother it became. Soon, it seemed nothing like a cave, but more like a brick wall, as with the ceiling and floor. The must have dug deeper into the cave, then.

They had made this place into more than just some kind of hideout. This place seemed like headquarters, to Link. He sheathed his sword as they made there way down the hallway. As they neared a bend in the hallway, Link heard footsteps. They seemed to sound like a human's footsteps. They were evenly paced, not like those lizards.

Link looked around the corner. There was a wooden door, and the footsteps came from the other side. The people walked slowly he could tell, and seemed to be muttering inaudible phrases. They didn't seem very menacing sounding.

Link went to go look back at the two gorons. He had a plan on how to get in their without being heard, although it would require some skill. But as he turned to tell them, he saw neither were. The next thing Link saw was an elongated shadow, stretching past his, likely from the light that was now coming from behind him. It seemed they knew the were there. The last thing Link remembered was something hard hitting the back of his head. Maybe the hilt of a sword...

Chapter Two: Cult of the Lizardmen

...Where are we?

* * *

And that is the end of chapter two. And if you are wondering, the chapter title is at the end on purpose. If it was at the beginning, you might be able to guess what will happen (Maybe not with this chapter, but with others you might.) It just makes it a little more fun when you aren't sure what will happen...


	3. Chapter 3

_ Where... Where am I?_ Link's eyes flickered open, last remembering something hitting him, though everything else seemed to be a blur. He felt something cold enclosed around his wrists. It seemed he was trapped; his wrists and ankles were all bound by steel. _This doesn't look good. Trapped. Not sure what they're planning, but it can't mean well for me._

Slowly, he began to remember what else happened before he was knocked out. Those lizards, the two gorons... and where were they? They had disappeared before he was knocked out. They had to have been taken out before him, then. Did that mean there were more of those lizards behind them, following them?

The room he was in was small, made from the same rectangular, grey, blocks the hallways were made from. The door was wooden with a small opening with iron bars, so he could be checked up on, no doubt. The room was dimly light, a small torch on the wall, that was it. Besides those few noticeable things, there was nothing else in the room. It was plain, and rather dull. Then again, having a prisoner wasn't meant to be fun and games.

Link noticed something odd, although he was happy to make the discovery. He still had the master sword on him. _Of course, they can't touch it. It's the sword of Evil's bane._

Link heard voices coming from outside, but saw no face through the bars. They weren't close, then.

"Ssssso. What should we do the prisssoner?" He heard one ask in a low pitched voice.

"We shall give sacrifice them to Ares, in hopes he allows us to create a new follower who shall not disobey." Link didn't know what these two were talking about, but sacrificing things usually was bad. He also took it that he was that prisoner they were talking about.

"And the otherssss?"

"They shall be of use to us. They are made from the earth, itself. They will be used as components. But, of course, we cannot use them until our _other_ missing component has been acquired."

"Sssssoul edge?" The lizard inquired. Link didn't recognize the name, but it sent a chill up and down his spine.

"Yes. Hopefully that being who wields it heeds our threats. We don't want to have wasted resources to capture that girl." Link rose an eyebrow. So, they hadn't been just kidnapping people from around here? Because, from the sounds of it, this soul edge isn't Hylian.

Link struggled to move his left hand. He had to get out of this place, or he'd be dead by the end of the day.

* * *

Siegfried grabbed another rock on the ledge as he climbed the steep mountainside. He knew traversing the mountains wouldn't be easy, but it would be rewarding. He grabbed another rock, hefting himself up farther. He wasn't at all tired yet. Eventually, he made it to a large enough ledge for him to sit on it, though he barely had enough room to do so.

He arose slowly, trying to catch his breath. He sidled against the rocky mountain, looking around. He didn't know what to expect. He could see a barren wasteland covered in ice and sleet. He could see a lush forest, or maybe ruins of some civilization. These things were just possibilities, and he doubted he would ever see such things, but it did make him think of what he could see. What he saw as he looked around the edge of the mountain was more mountains. This may be the reason people never go this way, and why people never leave.

He soon found himself a small ragged path, made from fallen rocks, likely from a rockslide, or something similar. He kept on walking, looking up at the blue skies. There wasn't a cloud in the sky right now. The midday sun glared down like a ray of fire, pinpointing itself at the man. He just looked head, knowing that, soon enough, he would be in this rumored place, where the Azure knight may be.

He heard something. He dismissed it; it was probably just a falling rock, or an animal, or some other phenomena. But as he kept on trudging his way across the, by now barely visible among the other rocks, path. He climbed up a small knoll he was near, peering over the top. In the horizon, which was just another small mountain, he saw a figure. Clad in an azure colored armor. He wielded a large blade, similar to the blade Siegfried carried, on his back. The person, if it was a person, which Siegfried was sure it wasn't, had a deformed looking arm. It couldn't be, but it had to be. It had to be the Azure Nightmare!

Siegfried, in surprise, took a step backwards, stepping on a loose rock, which dislodged itself from the others, sending Siegfried plummeting down the small knoll. But, instead of landing on his rear, he found himself laying in a pile of loose rocks. And by loose rocks, it is meant that the rocks were moving, and were falling. He realized what this meant.

He began to try and climb his way out from the rocks, but by now he was being covered by more small rocks, the weight of the rocks becoming painful. He knew it was some kind of cave-in, or maybe a trap of some sort.

He felt a weightlessness as the rocks underneath him disappeared. He began to fall in. He reached out to grab something, desperate in his attempt to get out.

Soon, his entire body was either under rocks, or was in midair, dangling helplessly over some kind of pit. Now, instead of trying to get up, he was trying to get down. He knew that falling, however far would either hurt, or be lethal, but he may have a wall to hang onto. Or at least surface.

He felt his shoulders being freed from the rocks, and used his right hand to push himself out. He pushed lightly, his body beginning to fall. It was pitch black, and he couldn't tell what kind of wall there was, if there was any nearby, anyhow. But this fall didn't last long. In fact, he guessed he had only fallen ten feet. He landed on his back on a pile of rocks, more falling on him, though he barely them as he took Requiem, and put it in front of him, deflecting the rocks.

He rolled a few feet away, his back in pain. Falling ten feet was still falling. If he hadn't had his sword strapped to his back, he would have actually had taken more damage. Now that he had moved, no more rocks were falling on him. He stood up slowly, brushing off some dirt on his armor. His eyes hadn't adjusted to the darkness yet, so he couldn't see, but he could make out some small line of light. It was far off, or so it looked. He headed towards the light, hoping for an exit.

* * *

Link looked around the room once again, bored. He had been stuck here all day, and nothing was happening. He, sure as hell, wasn't getting sacrificed. But that wasn't a bad thing.

He began to wonder what time it was now. It seemed like an endless, timeless, twilight here. There was no way to tell time inside the mountain, and there was no way to just ask what the time was. _If I did, they'd probably slit my throats, and feed me to the lizards... literally._

Seconds became minutes as minutes became hours. Timeless or no, he could almost begin to feel himself age. This non-movement was beginning to take its toll on the hero. He wasn't able to just stay here. He had his sword, for Din's sake! If he could get a hand free, any hand, he could get out, but these steel cuffs were too powerful for the young adult to be able to break.

He began to hear voices again. They were the same from before, however long ago that was. The one with the elongated s sounds spoke first. "Ssssso, will we jusssst finish thissss already?" He seemed agitated. Maybe even a little hungry.

He heard a low' hmph', likely that other guy from before. He seemed annoyed. Lin heard a metallic click as the door to his cell swung open. Several figures swarmed in, all either lizardmen, wearing nothing but armor and weapons, or were humans in long red or black robes, hoods looming over their faces.

Link took a good look at them. They had formed a semi-circle around him, with two people in the middle. One of them was reptilian, having a mixture of blue and green skin, hazel eyes, almost piercing into Link's mind. The other was a human, wearing a long dark blue robe. He held a candle in his hands, and was muttering inaudible words. Link saw the reptilian draw his short sword, th creature's long and slim tongue coming out from its orifice, licking his mouth. His eyes were full of blood lust.

Link bit his lower lip. There was no way out of this. He was going to die at the hands of a lizard. He closed his eyes, not clenching them, but peacefully closing them. If he was going to die, he would do so honorable. Although dying at a cult's hands wouldn't be all too much too honor_. At least I did some good in my life..._

There was a loud _boom_as rock flew through the air, the wall on Link's right side was no longer there, debris flew around the room, hitting several cultists, knocking one unconscious. No oter member seemed to have sustained serious damage. Link saw several Gorons rushing into the room in a frenzy, knocking around the lizardmen like they were nothing. They must have been the gorons who came with Nibun!

One of the gorons bashed a lizardman's skull in with a rock, then walked over to Link, breaking the metal with his bear hands. "Come on brother. Join the fray!" He encouraged, turning back to the battle, the cultist in blue had seemingly disappeared, but the lizardman who had just tried to impale the green hero was still there, snarling at the hero.

Although they couldn't take his sword, they did take his shield. _I'm at a disadvantage here. The others are all occupied, and my enemy has both a sword and a shield. I'll need to make sure this fight doesn't last long. _

The lizard seemed to grin as it spoke. "Ssssso, what isss my victom'ssss name?"

"Call me Link," he replied, smirking. "Can I get your's?"

"Ssssralzzzzza," He replied. Link wasn't sure if he meant that literally, or if the lizard's name was Salzra. But either way, it didn't really matter.

The creature ran towards Link, charging with his sword and shield up. Link kept his sword up, ready to parry the move. The next moments would look like a blur to anyone who saw the fight. Blows were exchanged left and right, neither being able to hit the other. Link had just done a flip as he dodged a low sweep attack, but the lizard dodged as Link went for a horizontal slash. The creature stepped back, rushing forward in a thrusting motion towards Link. The green-lad boy took one step to the side, slashing at the creatures head. Link proved lucky, as the lizard had tried to dodge the attack, but had accidentally turned the wrong way, and ended up with a sword in its chest.

Link kicked the monster off his sword, turning to the others, who were finishing up the remainder of the lizards.

"Where's Nibun?" He asked, seeing that he wasn't in their.

One of the gorons frowned, as he turned to Link. "We lost him. He went after a man in some dark robs, and lost him after a steel door fell behind him. We won't be able to break the door without causing a cave-in"

Link nodded, understanding. "Then we'll need to find another route... but, I don't think I have my map on me anymore. They took it when I was unconscious." He then walked to the door, peeking out. There was a long corridor, several doors along the hall. Link had a guess at what were in all the other cells. He walked up to a door that was on the other side of the hall, opening it slowly. It was an empty room, but Link could make out the same steel straps that he was in.

_Well, this cell may be empty, but I'm sure there are others that aren't._

Link turned to the others. "Span out, look through all of the cells. One of them has to have Darunia in them."

The gorons did as he said, searching through all the cells, practically ransacking the place. They decided that they would destroy anything that the cult could use against them. Soon enough, they had found several cells filled with people. Not just gorons, which they found only few of, but also many Hylians, and Kokiri.

Link bit his lower lip. This wasn't everybody. There had to be more cells somewhere in this place. He ran down the hall, the others following close behind. Link kept his weapons ready in case of more interference. As they made it down the hall, they ran into a small room, with a wooden desk, bookcase, and cabinet. Link stopped as he entered the room. This must have been some kind of warden's room. Link waled over to the bookcase, reading the labels on the side. Many of these books were on alchemy. Link saw some that were on the creation of golems, and one titled _Soul Edge: The myths and Legends._

Link looked to the desk, seeing no use in the books. There were papers and parchments, but no map. He then looked to the cabinet. He swung open the doors, looking inside. There were many things. Jewels, toys, even weapons. He looked through the junk, not seeing the map. _Where is it?_ He asked himself, looking down. He then grinned. He may not have found the map, but he found something else. His shield.

He strapped the steel shield on, looking to the others. "Well, I think we're ready to move on." He looked to two of the gorons. "You two, take the other prisoners out of here. We don't need them getting hurt, okay?"

The two her pointed out nodded turning to the others. As soon as they found an exit, they would take them and leave. Link, then, turned his attention to the other gorons, speaking. "We will go deeper into this maze, and will find Darunia and Nibun. We will also find out what this cult is doing in Hyrule. And we will stop them." As he finished, the gorons he had spoken to all smiled. They were itching to get back at those cultists after they had taken their leader, and so many of their brother's and sisters.

Chapter three: Breaking out Part 1

...We need to find our way out of here.

* * *

Yes, this will be a two parter kind of deal. And to answer my first reviewer: Yep. I have a good number of details and chapter at my command. Heh, actually, while writing, I think of a TV series. This story will have 'seasons' and 'arcs'. I guess this would be the first arc...

Also, I'm planning on this story having less Link and more SC later. Link will still be a major character, but most of the chapter won't be dedicated to just him. I just need him to do a lot in the beginning.

Last thing... I know you'll hate the request, but please review.


	4. Chapter 4

Siegfried looked to his left. He had finally reached the small light, which led to a small hole. He had to crawl through, but he eventually made it out from the lightless pit. He found several torches hanging from the walls which were carved from stone. Among many of the rocks were some that were carved to look like Ares, the Greek God of War. Siegfried took it that this place was one of the Fygul Cestemus' hideouts. He knew so, because they were a cult whom worshiped the Greek god. And, knowing the cult from years of experience, Siegfried kept his hand on the hilt of his sword. They could be anywhere.

He was in a long corridor, and could hear footsteps coming from around a far off corner. Siegfried cursed under his breath, heading opposite the noise, finally making it to a corner.

He didn't need a fight right now, especially considering what he had just seen outside of the cave. _That couldn't have been him. I saw what happened... _He shook it off, taking Requiem

off from his back, darting off. If Soul Edge was reawakened, he needed to destroy it once an for all.

* * *

Link wasn't very sure where he was going, without his map. This wasn't going to be easy, and he knew it from the start. He could've been heading towards a trap, or even the exit. _Although, that wouldn't be so bad. We could get the prisoners out of her safely..._ He noted, keeping his sword and shield unsheathed, as he knew there would be more of those people somewhere around here. Of course, with that mess back there, one of them could easily identify the fact that a break out had occurred. That would spell trouble.

He and the rest of the group, which had to be no less than thirty individuals, walked down the rather large corridor, with several gorons in the front, and back. Link lead the party. He couldn't remember much from the map, so his memory was useless. If he was lucky, he might see something to trigger his memory, but the only thing around them were these odd symbols, possibly some other language he didn't know of. There were also depictions of bloodshed on the wall. War, poverty, death, and famine. Suffering in all forms possible. It was a bit sickening. Whatever this cult was, Link was beginning to loathe it more than he thought he could loathe a cult.

As they made there way down a hallway, the passed a door. This door had the same iron bars that led into the cells they had been held in. Link took a quick peek inside. It wasn't a cell. More like another warren's room. But there was a door on the other side of the room, which could lead to a few cells. That door didn't have iron bars, so Link couldn't see past the door. That only left one option

Link put his hand on the door handle, slowly pushing it forward, all the while holding his shield up. As soon as the door was finally opened fully, Link crept into the room, looking around. It was even plainer than the last time he was in such a room. There was a desk and a chair. That was it! The desk did have drawers, though. Link walked to the desk, and saw what was upon it. A very worn out map. Not of the same quality of his. It was either old, or kept in bad condition. It was still a map though, so he could use it. He rolled it up, stuffing it inside his tunic, before opening the drawer. It was stuck, or maybe locked. Of course, a lock wouldn't be able to keep Link out.

He had nothing but a map, a shield, and a sword, and he needed to open a drawer that was locked. It looked like it needed a key, so they would need to find it. If no, he could easily chop the desk into lumber and see what falls out, but then what fell out may be destroyed.

He looked back. For the most part, everyone was still outside the room, but one of the gorons had come in as well. Link had an idea. He couldn't open the door, but maybe a goron could?

"Hey, I have a favor for you," Link asked, as the goron looked his way.

"What is it, Brother?" The goron asked inquisitively.

Link nudged the desk a bit. "Mind opening this drawer. I think its stuck."

The goron smiled as he walked towards the desk. He placed one of his large, rocky hands on the drawer, tugging a little. The drawer came flying open. What was inside was... paper. A bunch of paper. And it was written in that same language as what was on the wall. _Well, this was a waste of time,_He told himself, sighing. "Well, we should go through the door now. No sense in staying here." He went to the others in the party beckoning the other gorons in front to come with him, while the rest waited in the warren's room.

The door slowly creaked open, leading into a very dark-lit room. There was one, red-glowing, candle hung up on the wall to Link's left. Also in the room was a person. Likely another prisoner. He couldn't see clearly with the little light, but his eyes were quickly adjusting to the light that there was.

"You know..." began the prisoner in a dark, rather grim, voice, "You really should close that door. The light's killing me... and that's what I might just do to you."

Link wasn't sure what this person was talking about. He noticed by the voice that it was likely a female, and judging by the curves on her body, he was right. She was chained the wall, in an X shaped position, her head hanging low, but her eyes, a piercing dark green, glared at Link, seemingly filled with malevolence that couldn't be explained

"Who are you?" Link asked, rather calmly, as he took a step into the room. He was able to get a better view of the girl. She seemed to have rather oddly shaped hair, rising at first, then coming down. Green, with a bit of blue, and rather messy. She probably had been stuck in this prison for a while, as her clothes, matching her hair, except, instead of green and blue, she wore green and purple, were dirty, and the color was matted, now almost looking a bit grey at some points.

"Me," She spoke in a overly obvious faked sweet tone, "That's none of your business. The real question is 'who are you' as, more than likely, I was imprisoned first."

Link was more or less surprised. How did she know he had also been a prisoner. "And how did you come to that conclu-" He began to speak, but she interrupted.

"You ooze 'valiance'. Your shield and sword for the most part, really. I can just tell by looking at it. It has a positive feel to it. Holy?" She interrupted, changing the subject.

She knew that the master sword was holy? She didn't look like anyone from Hyrule. Then again, the Master Sword could easily have been known wherever she came from.

"Also," She added, "There's those big rock guys behind you. The Fygul Cestemus aren't stupid. They wouldn't just release their own prisoners. I just took it that if you got out, you would have done it as soon as you could have. Why wait?"

"Well, you are an awfully good guesser? You even knew they had the goron's here. Then, do you know their plans?" Link asked, now sheathing his sword and shield.

"Of course. It's painstakingly obvious. The same old ploy they've always been trying. Also, I wouldn't sheathe your sword..."

"And why's that?" Link said, a bit of anxiety beginning to build in the back of mind. If someone said that, it was usually a bad sign.

"Because," She smiled, "As soon as I'm out of these chains, I'm going to take your soul right from your body." The threat wasn't exactly threatening, as it didn't make any sense to Link. Suck out his soul? What was she, some kind of Redead or Gibdo?

She then brought her head up a bit, tilting it to the left. There was a streak of purple on her face. Link wasn't sure if that was makeup, or something akin to that. She did wear makeup though. Green eye shadow, and matching lipstick. She also had a beauty mark under her right eye. Her face bore a sinister look. Something between a crazed killer, and a trained assassin.

"So," Link started, trying to get some info out of this girl, "What are there plans? What do you know?"

"You must think I'm an idiot... I won't just tell you. I'll only tell if you let me go. I promise not to suck out your soul," Her face suddenly wore a smile. An odd smile, which held no sinister, or malignant, intent. This girl seemed rather odd. At one point, she said she would kill Link, at another, she's promising not too.

Reluctantly, Link answered, "Fine." It wasn't like he wanted to do so, but she might hold important information, like what they may be up against. Maybe some insight on those lizardmen.

Link was able to brake the chains with a few swift swipes of his sword, shattering the comparatively frail metal. The girl fell, landing on her knees. She hadn't walked in a few days, and felt a little dizzy. It wasn't the worst she had ever felt.

She grinned, looking up at Link. "Thanks," she said, sounding rather glad that she was out of those bonds, even though she had a cynical ring to what she was saying. Link couldn't tell, but her attitude seemed like a facade. A very well done facade, at that.

"So... what are the Fygul Cestemus up too?" Link asked, pressing for the information he was promised.

"Yeah, yeah," She began, dusting herself off, "These guys are probably trying to create a golem, again," She stated, frankly.

"A... golem?" Link inquired, rather confused.

"Yeah. They've tried it before, and they've succeeded, but it's not like they can control them. They've made one... Astaroth, I believe. He was, at once, time just being brainwashed, until he got away, and turned on them. He even had the guts to stand up to the Greek god of war, Ares. Not surprised though. Astaroth has a bit of a god-complex."

That didn't clear up most, if any, of the confusion that Link had. In fact, it just raised more questions. He knew that the three goddesses, Din, Naryu, and Farore, created Hyrule, so it was likely other parts of the world could have been made by other gods. But, a god of war? This cult followed a god of slaughter? And they were making a golem? But what did this have to do with the Gorons? And why had they been kidnaping people?

The girl just walked past him into the last room. "Now... where did they keep it..." She muttered to herself. Link didn't even bother trying to guess what she was after. If he did, he would just develop a headache or something.

She looked back at him and scowled. "Did you see it?" She asked, malignantly.

"See what?" Link enquired, finding the way she asked for things just a tad creepy, as she turned and headed for the door, where several other people stood, discombobulated as to what was going on. Most heard at least a little bit of their conversation, but had ignored it. Some listened to all of it, and slowly backed away, letting the girl get through, into the hallway.

Link followed her out into the hallway, attempting to stop her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Wait!" He requested. "You shouldn't just go off. These creatures here have swords and other weapons. You can't just fight them."

"I could if you let go of my shoulder," She told him, picking his hand up, then letting go. "Besides, I can handle them on my own, even without my weapon."

"So, you can block a blade with your bare fists?" Link inquired, rhetorically, frowning a little, "I somehow doubt you can. Besides, we're trying to find whoever is leading this cult. They've invaded our country, and kidnaped our people. You seem to know about them. We could use your knowledge."

She began to walk, waving once. She would have gladly killed him, but if he had survived this long, he was probably a good swordsman, and, although she wouldn't mind a new play toy, she didn't have much time on her hands. She was looking for a few things.

Link sighed, looking back at the others. "Well, I did find a map, so we could, hopefully, use this." He then grinned as the girl turned her head.

"You have a map?" She asked, walking back towards them, her shoes making an odd clicking noise with each step on the stone floor.

"Yeah. We just found it, before freeing you," Link responded. She was definitely interested in the map. She probably didn't know where she was going.

By now, she was already back, trying to look at the map, before just grabbing it. Link didn't seem bothered that she just took that map right from his hands. He seemed pleased, in fact. He still couldn't read that language that the cult used. She seemed capable of doing so, though.

"Hm," She began bringing the map up to a torch, to get a little light behind it. The light shone through the thin parchment, the ink becoming more defined. "I don't know about you, but I have to get going," She said, finishing her use with the map, throwing it behind her. Link easily caught it, looking over at the girl.

Link looked at the map once more. He knew where he was, he just didn't have the ability to read the ink, but from what he could tell, she was heading for a large room, with a lot of words scribbled next to it. _Large room? Why do I never like those..._ He thought to himself, before hearing a thump. A door had just been closed. He looked up. The girl was nowhere to be seen. _Damn... I need to find her. She could probably help us find whoever's leading the crazy cult._

He looked back at the group behind him. They seemed a little uneasy. They were all in an underground cavern, laid with traps, and crawling with lizard-people.

"Listen up," Link said, trying to keep his voice loud enough for those in the back of the group to hear him easily. "According to this map, an exit isn't too far from here. If we keep on going, you should all be out in no time." He didn't mention the big room, or the fact that they would have to pass it to leave. _Besides, big rooms don't always have traps... or giant monsters._

He began walking, the large group of people following close behind, as they made their way down the stone corridor, towards where that girl had just gone. As they moved, Link wondered who exactly these people were. This cult definitely was not from Hyrule. Then where? There were many places besides Hyrule. Termina, Labrynna, Holudrum, and several other places. They could have just been a conglomeration of lizalfos and some humans? But what about that language. Creating your own written language could take years. And they even have a religion. And what did that girl say about a golem? He had faced Darknuts, and armos statues, so a golem probably wasn't all that bad.

Soon, they found themselves in front of a large, door. It was ornate, or at least to Link, compared to the other doors, as it was made from wood, with a steel frame. Several shapes were carved into the wood. One seemed to be some kind of weapon, or sword, with an eye near the hilt. The image disturbed Link somewhat, but the other images were just as disturbing. One was the image of that sword and a body. The sword seemed to go through the body, and then the carvings made an odd shape around the image, like some kind of aura, emanating from the sword and body. The rest of the images were of slaughter, done by what appeared to be the same body from the last image.

Link couldn't bare to look at the picture much longer, as it sickened him to no end. He had seen enough torture in one lifetime. Seeing more was unnecessary and unwanted. He put his hand on the far left of the door; it had no handle, but it could probably be pushed open, or maybe lifted. After trying both ways, the door wouldn't budge. Link heaved again, letting out a grunt. Nothing.

He even got the gorons to help him, but, with their combined strengths, even with Link's gauntlets, which let him lift pillars, the door couldn't be moved.

"Wow," Link commented, panting, his hands on his knees, "This thing isn't moving..." _But how did she get the door to move?_Then it dawned on him. Of course, it was a trap. She must have opened the door, and gotten into the room, then it shut, and wouldn't open. Link scowled at the realization. If he was right, which he hoped he wasn't, then there was definitely something dangerous in there, or maybe a horde of lizardmen. Either way, that girl had no weapon. How could she survive that. Link shook his head, leaning against the wall.

"We need to get in if he want to get out of this cave," One of the small Kokiri said, putting a hand up to her chin. "Maybe there's some kind of other way in. Like a secret entrance, in case one of the guys who made the trap accidentally sprung it?"

Link looked over at the kid, surprised by the idea. It actually seemed plausible. This made him wish he had some more of his gear on him. Wearing the eye of truth always made tasks like this easier, if only he had it. _Of course, I had to leave some of the gear back home. I can't carry everything after all. Then again, maybe leaving something else at home like the hookshot or some deku nuts would have worked out better._

He then got off the wall and put his hands on the wall opposite of him. It was solid. Next, he placed his hands a bit higher, beginning to feel something. A crack, perhaps? Yes, it was. He then backed away, reaching in his tunic. "Everyone, back away. I think I figured out a way in."

He pulled out a small bomb, looking over his shoulder. They had done what he said. Link then took another step back, then launching the bomb towards the rock. There was a a clanging sound, then a _boom_ as the bomb exploded from the force of the throw, and the bomb igniting on impact with the stone.

There was a bright flash, and then smoke, as the explosion rang out throughout the cave. Link covered his eyes as smoke and dust blew everywhere, the others doing the same, or, at least, hiding behind someone else.

As the smoke began to dissipate, Link saw a large hole where the rock had once been. He also noted that the hole was, in fact, a large hallway, with a noticeable angle. Link judged that someone had pushed the rock from the hallway's end. The girl may have taken this root and done so, or had taken the door, and not even notice the rock could be disposed of. It didn't matter, but Link was curious.

"Brother," Link heard one of the gorons say, the voice having an edge to it... a fearful edge, "From what we've heard from that girl... This cult wants to make a golem. What if they have succeeded, and that is what is up ahead?"

"Easy," Link replied, unsheathing his sword, "We'll fight it. Can't be tougher than fighting an Iron Knuckle, or a dragon."

Link headed into the new found hallway, looking back. "Nothing in here," He called as they began to follow.

Link looked ahead as he headed down the corridor. There was a bend, not far from the beginning, which, Link guessed, would take them to the room in which that girl would be in.

Soon, Link saw a light. Not a very bright light, likely only being a few torches, if not something smaller, like a candle or two, but as he neared the light, he was able to see outside the corridor. A ceiling, made from a dark brown granite. But, what Link noticed most of all, was the red splattered all over the ceiling. It was blood.

Link hurried, worried that he would see the dead body of that girl. _Yeah, go off without a weapon. Real smart,_ Link said to himself, as he jumped out of the corridor, into the blood soaked room. The ceiling wasn't the only part of the room tainted by the red liquid. The walls and floor, as well, were covered in blood.

Chapter Four: Breaking Out Part 2

Blood everywhere... but it isn't hers.

* * *

Okay, this my longest chapter yet. Originally, I was planing on ending the breakout in this chapter, but it ended up being longer than I had hoped. And, to be honest, this chapter was... not fun to wright. I just didn't feel anything about this chapter. I also noticed that my writing in this chapter didn't seem quite as articulate as my last two chapters, but maybe that's just me... But I should be glad, I actually updated, after all this time.


	5. Chapter 5

Link stood, amazed, yet disgusted at what he was witnessing. There was blood everywhere. The gore was practically oozing down the walls. Bodies lay askew on the ground, tossed aside, with gashes running down their sides, their faces, and anywhere else that wasn't properly covered in any kind of armor. Among them were those lizardmen, and even humans, wearing dark robes. They all seemed to have been carrying weapons. Short swords and shields, or just a sword.

Amidst the bodies was that girl. She held a blade, likely stolen from one of the lizards, and was covered in blood. The blood wasn't hers though, that was clear as crystal to Link. _She_ had killed _all_ of them single-handedly. This wasn't what amazed Link the most. What shocked him, and revolted him at the same time, was how she grinned as she held the blade near her face, and spoke, "These swords... are pathetic," she said, throwing the blade to the ground, "The cuts were all sloppy, and leave nothing to the imagination. I should be ashamed to wield such a thing. Oh, well, the bloodshed made it worth it."

Link's eyes were wide open now. She seemed to have enjoyed killing them all. By the way she spoke. He took a step back, into a red puddle. Blood splattered all over his leggings and even on the lower half of his tunic. The girl looked back with a surprised, "oh" before calming down. "It's only you," She said, seeming bored, now.

Link gulped, then tried to speak, but no words could come out. He wanted to ask what happened or 'what did you do', but he couldn't. Was this fear? No, it wasn't as if he was facing her. That wasn't what had him shaking, though. It was the fact that she murdered them all in cold blood, and was unfazed. Even he hated death, and wished to do all he could to avoid killing his enemies, unless he had reason too, but she... she could kill, and smile.

"What, cat got your tongue?" She asked playfully, walking towards him. "Too bad you missed it. I would have loved to see you fight." There was a sense of malice to what she said. Whatever reasons she had for saying that, Link didn't like it. She had a feeling about her. Something he couldn't quite explain. He didn't feel good around her, that was for sure.

She then turned away from him, and began to walk. "Being you're here, I guess I can tell you that there is an exit," She proceeded to point over to a large door. As Link expected, it was also covered in blood. "You can get those others out of here," she grinned as she headed towards another door. A large, dark, and dreary door, with large markings. It almost seemed to have a face. That face, it seemed, had snakes above her, almost as if her hair were the snakes.

Link looked confused, but decided there was nothing he could do about this. He just hoped the others wouldn't be so shocked about the dead bodies. But, alas, he was wrong, as he heard several gasps and even cries of shock and astonishment. _Shouldn't have had such high hopes. Of course they'll be surprised by a bunch of dead bodies._ He then took a deep breath, looking over his shoulders. He hadn't noticed this before, but the corridor he had come from was several feet from the ground. Then again, he was busy gawking at the bodies.

Link, then, went on to explain to the others that the exit was just beyond the door covered in blood. Of course, they were apprehensive about going through the door, but Link reassured them, that, by what his map, and the girl said, that the exit was beyond said door. Link was able to persuade them, but that didn't mean it would be easy getting them out.

He walked towards the door, determined to show them that the door was safe. As he neared the door, he heard one of the ex-prisoners murmur something about how the dead bodies reminded him of castle town many years ago, during the siege of Hyrule Castle. Honestly, Link could agree. He remembered the blood shed that day, and when he talked with the dying guard in the alleyway. Of course, that girl wasn't Ganondorf.

He stopped walking, now at the large stone door. E put his hands on, seeing that there were no doorknobs, or handles. There was only one way to open this door. He began to push upwards, keeping his feet planted. The door was heavy, even for him. The door must have weighed a ton, at least. Soon enough, he felt the door lift itself. He sighed in relief as he turned to everyone, and gave them a triumphant thumbs up, nonverbally saying 'Good to go'.

The others began to crowd the exit, congesting it, until, all but the gorons were left. Link looked to his 'brothers' and gave them a half-smile, before looking towards the door with the face on it. The girl was still standing in front of it, as if waiting for something to happen.

Link began to walk towards her, before she hissed, "Stop." He did so, abruptly, almost tripping over a dead lizardman's leg.

"What?" Link asked, eying the wall. It seemed like she didn't want him getting close.

"You'll activate it, so stay put," She retorted, backing away slowly, "Shoulda seen it when I came in here. I hate these damn things."

Link rose an eyebrow in wonderment. What thing? The door? It was a door! "Uh... you mean the door?"

"Of course the door! What do you think I mean?" She bent down, picking up the sword she had just thrown. "I hate the blade, but I guess I'll need the sword to kill it," She muttered as she looked toward the door. "Elf boy," She stated, then looking to Link , "I was hoping to see you fight." She then rushed towards the door.

There were several things now going through Link's mind. One was 'what the hell'. He didn't understand what she was talking about. A _door_, for Din's sake. Another was _Elf boy? I don't go around calling her tree, or clown. Then again, I haven't really introduced myself, have I._

As Link stood thinking, he noticed something about the door. The face's, which Link was now certain it was, eyes were beginning to glow a vibrant red, and there was a low humming noise coming from its direction.

The girl leapt into the air, slashing at the door with amazing speed and grace, landing a hit on the face. The sword easily got into its... whatever it was made from. The face seemed to have a stoic expression as the red eyes changed to blue.

Tira jumped back, shouting to Link, "Watch out!"

Link was more alert, now, as several beams came shooting towards him. He managed to do a back flip, avoiding the attack. As he landed, he began to realize what kind of danger he was in. "Brothers," He yelled, looking to the gorons, though 'Brothers' was tantamount to saying 'guys' or 'hey', "Stay back."

The gorons complied, taking a few steps back, being careful not to step on a body. Link turned his attention back to the face, which seemed to be done its attack. Link needed to attack quickly, if he wanted to survive this. He sprang forward, running at a much faster pace than he expected to, slashing at the door. Link could almost feel it as his blade touched it. His sword was an extension of his arm, and so his arm was touching it. It felt fleshy, but hard, like there was rock underneath it. It was unlike anything he had ever felt before.

He made sure to get back, as he expected it would attack. He was correct in thinking so, as more beams shot at him. He effectively dodged them, but he knew he wouldn't be able to dodge all of the creatures beams. He soon stopped jumping around, bringing his shield up.

Tira scowled as he did so. A shield? It wouldn't do him any good. The beams were powerful, and infused with evil auras that could easily penetrate any shield or armor, but as another beam was shot, it hit the shield, and, to Tira's surprise, was reflected back at the door. The beam proved to be just the thing needed to defeat the creature, for as the beam stopped, the face began to crack, then fall apart.

Link took his shield down, looking at the rubble that was left. It looked like ordinary stone now. "What was that?" Link asked no one in particular. That wall was like nothing he had ever encountered before.

"Are you stupid, or something?" The girl asked, dropping the sword, and walking over the rubble. "It's an evil. Where have you been? A cave?"

Link began to frown. He was getting irritated. "What is an evil? What are you talking about?" He asked, not in curiosity, like most of his questions usually were, but in rage.

The girl couldn't help but smile at this. "You really don't know, huh? Well, I guess the rumors were true then."

Link forgot his rage, now, once again, curious. "Rumors? Of what?"

"The country not affected by the Evil Seed, of course," She stated, looking back at him. "You don't know? Well, of course you don't. I didn't think it was true. But, what the Fygul Cestemus said must be true, then. Why they came here."

"Wait... why the came here?" Link stepped forward, beginning to feel some disbelief. "What do you mean?"

She just snickered, then answered, "This place, not affected by the evil seed, is said to be a land that harbors powerful magic. Creatures born here are said to defy nature. Creatures that are nothing human, but speak our tongues. Not evils, not humans. That's what you all are. The rock men, and you, elf boy. We're in that place, aren't we. Where are we?" She asked finally.

"Uh... the country of Hyrule." Link answered, rather odded out by how she was speaking. So they weren't from Hyrule. Her as well. Then where was she from? And why had the cult imprisoned her?

"Hyrule, huh? This is going to be fun," She stated, looking towards where the door creature had been, once more. There were now a ser of steps, leading to a real door. "We should move quickly. I'm sure their leader, for this sect of the cult, shall be down there." She began to run towards the steps, going as quickly as she could. Link looked to the gorons, and beckoned them to come as well.

They made their way too the door, which actually was a door this time. As they did, Link couldn't help but notice that the girl wasn't even carrying a weapon. Maybe she didn't plan on fighting, or maybe she thought she would get another from whoever is in the next room. Whatever the reason, keeping that sword would have been a better idea.

She leaned against the door, slowly opening it just a crack, peeking inside to see who was in there.

Inside, several people stood, chanting some weird incantation, as they circled a creature. Likely one of those goron fellows. This one had a mane, although it also appeared to be made from rock. He wasn't alone. There were several other gorons as well.

She stepped away, giving Link the chance to see inside as well. _Darunia!_Was the first thing to pop in his mind, and then he saw the other gorons. _Wait... is that Nibun?_He wondered. Yes, it had to be Nibun.

The girl scowled as she thought of what she saw. Besides the men and gorons, there were several lizardmen, and a green corrosive acid surrounded the room. There were also several holes in the wall, likely either leading to other parts of this underground complex, or maybe an exit route.

What she focused on the most was the ringleader. The one person in there she gave a damn about. _He has my ringblade_, she told herself. The man, wearing a red, gilded robe, who stood at the far end of the circle. He was holding the ringblade around his shoulder.

None seemed to have noticed them, but Link knew better. He was already knocked out once. He slowly drew the master sword, and looked to the girl. "There isn't much we can do besides just charging in there, but, I say we go for at least one of the humans first. The lizard guys are there for protection, and the humans... Well, they way they are acting, they're probably trying some heavy duty magic." Link considered the possibility that they _wouldn't_get to them before the lizardmen stopped them, but being negative wasn't an option, right now, for him.

He placed his free, shield hand, on the door, and pushed, swinging the door open, as he began a charge towards the men, the girl passing him with incredible speed, and the gorons following at a slow pace.

Link was quick in drawing his shield as the lizards became more alert, staring in amazement at them. By now, the girl had already gotten to the ringleader, jumping at him, and pushing him to the ground. She gripped her ringblade, opposite of the actual blades, and pulled. It was a gory mess, as the man's arm was severed in the process.

Link noted that the other in the circle had not even moved. They weren't surprised, or shocked, or astonished. They just stood there, chanting. Link was about to move in to mow one down, when a lizardman leaped forward at him. The tunic wearing swordsman reacted instantly, ducking, but bringing his sword up. The reptile had armor, and a thick hide, but his sword proved to be stronger than the creature expected, and it ended up with a gash on its side.

"Sssso... you killed my brother. I can tell," The lizardman said. Link took a step back. Which lizardman had been his brother, though? He had killed several. "I'll make ssssure to avenge Sssralzzza."

_So, he's that guy's brother. Odd, but I guess its fitting they both die by the same blade._He kept himself ready as the lizardman prepared his short sword and shield. Link took note that the lizard was bent down low. Having a lower center of gravity likely meant he would be a fast runner, and a good jumper, although his jumping skill had already been displayed. He would need to be wary not to let himself get himself tripped.

The lizard, ran towards Link, but instead of swinging his sword, he kept low, spinning, trying to trip Link. Link had seen this tactic before, and jumped, avoiding the tail swing. He smiled confidently, as his feet planted themselves on the ground. What he hadn't expected though, was the lizard ramming head first into Link's unprotected side, right beneath his sword.

Link let out a surprised gasp as he found himself on the ground, the lizard pinning his legs with his own. Link's sword was just out of his reach, having lost his grip on the blade when he was head butted. The lizard had one of his hands on that arm anyway. There was little he could do, as his other arm was in a rather odd position; his arm had, not fortuitously, twisted in the leather straps that kept his shield on his arm, and now his shield was on the wrong side of his arm. As an added effected, he could barely bend his arm, as his shield was stopping him.

The lizard hissed low, having his sword up, ready to jab down. The gorons and the girl were all busy fighting. It didn't look so good, to him, but as the lizard brought the sword down, he felt a loosening in the lizards legs. Swiftly, he moved his head, barely dodging the sword by centimeters, although a few pieces of hair didn't make it, then kicked upward, releasing one of his legs. With his now freed leg, he kicked where, he hoped, the lizard would have something sensitive. It didn't feel like anything was there, but that was a different story for the reptile. He let out a squeal of pain, as Link pushed him off, the lizard losing the grip on his sword.

Link grabbed the master sword, rolling, and got up. Taking a deep breath, he propelled himself forward, jabbing the master sword into the lizardman's chest. It let out a gurgle, trying to defy death as it flailed its arms and legs about, but as Link pulled his sword out, too much blood was pouring out from the wound. Link turned to the others. The fray seemed to be going well. That was mostly thanks to the girl, however, as she swung her ringblade around and jumped around with acrobatics that even Link was envious of.

She did a backflip behind one of the men, who still stood there chanting, and slashed out with her weapon. The man fell, blood flowing to the ground. She smiled as she turned to the rest of them.

The battle was over before it begun, and, within minutes, there were no more lizardmen, and only one human left. Before the girl could kill him, though, Link called her to stop.

"Why?" She asked defiantly, eager for more bloodshed. Her clothing was still splattered with the blood from the last room, but that had dried, and a new layer was covering it.

"We need at least one person alive," He answered, walking towards the man, wearing a dark brown robe, "He probably has some answers for us."

The green garbed girl scowled, gripping her ringblade tightly. Who did this elf boy think he was? She could kill whoever, whenever! With a growl, she lashed out, swinging her blade towards Link with ferocity unlike anything Link had seen before. He was almost hit, too, but was fortunate enough to have great flexibility, as he bent backwards. It was painful, as he was sure his back wasn't meant to go _that_ far, but it did save his life.

"What the..." Link muttered, flummoxed as to why she had attacked him. She was fine a minute ago, but now she seemed enraged for some reason. Had he said something? It didn't matter. As he got himself upright, he took out his sword and shield, prepared to defend himself. He glanced over at his goron brother for a moment, then Darunia's, and the other unconscious gorons, and yelled to the still conscious gorons, "Get them out of here."

The gorons nodded, slowly striding towards their patriarch, picking him up, and heading for the exit. They were calm, and had faith their brother would come out all right.

Link's opponent didn't waste time when attacking. She moved fluidly, like a river, but fast, and deadly, like lightning, as she dodged a vertical slice made by Link, and brought up her ring, slashing at Link.

He felt searing pain in his upper back, near his right shoulder, as the ring blade cut through his tunic, and the layers of leather beneath. She was better than Link imagined. Then again, he had never seen her use this weapon. Not up close, at least. He didn't want this fight to last long, and he didn't want to hurt her. After all, she had given him useful information, and even helped them.

Link was quick to spin, and go for a sweep kick, but she was nimble in her movements, jumping over his attempt, and brining her ringblade down. Link bit his lower lip, raising his shield. There was a loud _ping_ noise as metal clashed with metal.

Link let go of his lower lip as his adversary jumped back. She smirked, seeming to enjoy this fight. To her, it seemed more like a game, and she was winning.

Link took in a deep breath, trying to conquer his pain. He was beginning to wish he still had his gear, then he could use some of it to his advantage, or heal himself with a fairy. But, despite this, he would still need to fight. He looked towards the girl, and then realized something. IT hadn't dawned on him until just now. "You know... I just thought of something," He began, "I never got your name."

She just smiled as she answered, "Tira. Yours?"

"Link," He answered.

"That's a stupid name," Tira commented, raising her ringblade over her shoulder, much like how that robed had before she yanked it from his arm.

"Heh, and yours is any better?" Link bantered.

"Course it is," Tira said, her smile not wavering.

Link couldn't help but roll his eyes at that. "You remind me of someone, you know that? Of course you don't. You're not even from around here." He sighed, "Witty banter isn't my exactly my strong point," He noted, closing his eyes but for a moment to shrug. He wasn't getting anywhere with talking, but, maybe by stalling, he could think of a way to combat her. He looked up.

She was right there, in front of hi. She didn't waste any time, it seemed, to attack, and used his closed eyes as an advantage. He quickly brought up his shield, but she didn't do anything. "Hn." Link bit hi lower lip, unsure what she was doing.

She grinned as she swooped low, sweep kicking, and tripping Link. Falling to the ground, Link let out a yelp of surprise.

Caught stupefied, Link was ready to bring his shield up. Also, he noticed this was the second time today he had been tripped. Before his shield was up, Tira had already gotten there first, putting a hand on it. And before he could use his sword, she had swung her ringblade, and knocked it from his grip, and, unlike last time, there wasn't much he could kick to get her off.

Link's heart began to beat rapidly as she brought up the ringblade. Link tried to think. How could he get out of this? He had a free arm, the one that had his sword just before, but what could he do with it? He could bring it up to defend himself, or else he would lose it! He couldn't reach his sword, as he could see it was a few feet away from him. He couldn't bring his shield up, either. _Crap, it looks like the end. I never would have seen this coming. I beat Ganondorf, King of evil, and I'm going to be killed by the girl I just saved. Irony..._

He waited for her to bring the blade down, closing his eyes, tightly clenching them together, as he didn't want to see his death, but it never came. He opened on eye, slowly, wondering what was going on.

He noticed something, a large sword, at least five feet log, and at least three feet thick, was merely inches away from his face. He couldn't see much else, as the sword, or, he thought it was a sword, blocked whatever attack Tira had planned. The sword was soon lifted, and Tira was knocked backwards. Link looked to see who it was that had saved him. The man looked much like a knight, wearing grey armor, gauntlets, and the like. He was only missing a helmet. He had long blond hair, and a rather grim looking face, almost as if angered.

The an looked to Link, then turned his attention back to Tira, letting a low "you," as he looked at the girl in green. Malice was clear in his voice. Link wasn't sure what was going on , but he saw this as the perfect time to gt his sword. Tira was good, he knew that, so he would have to help this guy.

Tira's grin had fades, and had been replaced by an annoyed scowl. "Great, you've shown up. If only master was here. Of course, if he was here, I wouldn't have had so much fun escaping... but still," She began to trail off.

The knight didn't say anything. All he did was take his large sword, a Zweihänder, and a large one, at that, as it was as large as he, himself, and charged at her swinging the sword with little trouble. Link had a face of astonishment. He had seen creatures use weapons that large, but never a human. He must have great strength, or at least a strong will.

Tira's scowl deepened as the knight swung. She jumped, tugging her legs up, avoiding the attack, then landed. "Best you got?" She taunted, jumping forward at him, and doing a spin kick.

Link was amazed at how fast the knight attacked with such a sword, beginning it forward to block the attack, then using the sword to knock her back, while her foot rested on the steel. The fight dragged on for several minutes, and neither could hit each other.

Their were sparks as the two's swords clashed, the ringblade sliding against the Zweihänder. Tira found herself sliding too far, going off the edge, several feet away from the wielder, and with him behind her. _Crap..._ She thought to herself. She had let herself open.

Before a final blow could be blown, there was a bright flash, knocking Tira off balance, as she was caught unwitting. She fell to the side, rolling away, just in case the knight was undeterred in his attack. But, once the light dimmed down, she saw he had. His arm was over his face, so he wouldn't be blinded.

"Wait," She muttered," If that wasn't his doing then it had to be..." She trailed off as she looked towards link, who was holding something in his left hand. A small nut, like that from a tree. A dark brown, with a small, golden light emanating from a crack in it's side. Tira had one thing going through her mind; what the hell was _that_.

"You two are done?" He inquired, throwing the nut in the air, and catching it as he spoke, "Because we aren't getting anywhere."

The knight was annoyed as Link spoke, showing his annoyance with frown. He set his sword on his back, the sword being held up by a set of leather straps that were made specifically for that sword.

"I'm not sure what's going on here," Link started, "But, being you two are trying to kill each other, I may as well intervene. But first, I should thank you," He looked over t the knight, nodding, "And... well, I guess I should thank you as well. You did help me get this far," He looked over at Tira, and gave a nod as well, though it was more curt than his other nod.

"You're _thanking _her?" The knight asked, shocked that he had done so.

"She did help me save my friends, although I can tell she had her own reasons for helping." Link shrugged, "I see no reason to not thank her."

By now, Tira had rolled her eyes. This was going to drag on. "Mind getting to the point!" She out bursted.

"Yeah, right," Link agreed, deciding to get back to the original topic, "Someone mind explaining what's going on? Maybe why you two are attacking each other. Or maybe how either of you got here," Link suggested, glancing over at Tira. He was curious as to how she had gotten here. She was a prisoner, but she didn't seem like your average prisoner. Then again, he wasn't an average prisoner either. _Maybe she was also infiltrating the caverns and got trapped... then again, seeing what happened in the last room... I kinda doubt that._

"I'm here because of some rumors I've been hearing. I heard someone I know was in the area. I was hoping to find him," The knight answered, "While traversing the mountains, I fell trough some kind of sinkhole, and ended up in here."

"You?" Link questioned Tira.

"Simple. I got captured. I was foolish and let my guard down. A lizardman, then, knocked me out, took my weapon, and chained me to a wall," She answered, smiling.

Link rose an eyebrow, not sure he could believe her. "Okay... then, how about we exit here peacefully, and sort things out later..." He then muttered to himself, "Zelda's gonna love this."

Siegfried moved cautiously, not trusting Tira in the least, as he made his way to the door, keeping his sword out as he walked. Link was more calm. If tira tried anything, she was outnumbered, and now he was a bit more aware of what she could do. He rested his shield on his back, and picked up his sword, sheathing it. Afterwards, he kept his left hand on his right shoulder, sighing. He could already here Zelda's response to the injury. _'You were reckless to have told the Gorons to all leave. You should have at least let one stay, in case._' Zelda had a bad habit of worrying.

Tira moved after them, staying a few behind. Link and Siegfried both were aware that the person who had just tried to kill them was right behind them, but both could still fight.

As they exited, Link stopped. He had forgotten something. Looking back, he saw nothing out of he ordinary. _Wait... where'd he go?_

Chapter Five: The Breakout, Part Three (Otherwise known as Deus ex machina)

* * *

I'll be honest, I wasn't going to make a note at the end, but I wanted to apologize for taking so long. This chapter is even longer than the last, and I found myself more preoccupied than I had hoped I would be.


	6. Chapter 6

As the three made their way to the cave's exit, Link couldn't help but wonder what he was getting himself into. This cult wasn't the only thing. Those two; if he lived to be an old man, he would remind his descendants to never free someone who threatens to kill them.

Soon enough, they made it to the exit. Link was glad to finally be out of the cave, and smiled as he heard a familiar voice up ahead.

"Link. Brother!" Darunia shouted, running up to his 'brother', wearing a large smile. "It is good to see you are okay."

"I can say the same thing," Link replied. It was nice to see that the Goron Chieftain was unharmed. Looking past Darunia, Link saw that many other gorons were there as well. Link noted that they were standing around one goron in particular; Nibun. Darunia, noticing Link was looking past him, frowned.

"We aren't sure what is wrong with him. He seems sick," Darunia said, his voice much more sober than his usual cheery one. "That Cult! They must have done something to him."

"We should take him to Zelda. If anyone will be able to figure out what's wrong with him, it will be her," Link suggested, looking to his wounded shoulder. "I could take him, but I'll need to be bandaged up first. I'm not bleeding anymore, but my wound could open up."

Darunia looked a bit worried, now, as he looked back at Nibun, but as he turned to Link, he put on a grin as he spoke, as if to say he knew whatever was wrong, could be fixed by the queen, "Sure."

* * *

A knight bursted into Hyrule Castle's Audience room, sweat beginning to drip from his face, as he tried to catch his breath. "You highness..." He tried to speak, but was unable to as he was breathless. "Urgent news..."

Zelda sat atop her throne, but stood as the knight spoke. "Yes," she inquired, curious as to why he had barged into the room.

"You highness... a message was received from... one of the Royal Knights just minutes ago. He said that... he and several of his fellow knights... Had discovered something eerie... a town, far into the mountains... townsfolk... slaughtered. All of them. No one was spared. It looked as if some tried to resist, but..."

The messenger stopped and took deep breath, "It looked as if the bodies were torn apart, from some kind of weapon. They had never seen anything like it. The gashes were... colossal. Whatever weapon was used, it was inhuman. And they said they felt a presence as the investigated. Something, they said, that was evil."

An eyebrow rose as Zelda listened to the messenger. "It is possible," She began, putting a hand to her chin, "That the Fygul Cestemus are involved in this. If so, Link is taking care of them, but... well, this crime seems different from the others. Any bodies we've found that were taken from the cult were killed in barbaric rituals, with organs being taken out, not being torn apart."

"We are waiting for more news from the Royal knight..." The messenger began, before Zelda interrupted.

"We don't have time to wait. We must act. Send reinforcements, and have them check the surrounding area. If whomever slaughtered the village is found, have this person captured, and brought here. And if the murderer is related to the cult, we have all the more reason to capture them," Zelda commanded, frowning as the messenger bowed and left.

The queen sat back on her throne, and rested her head on her hand. "Thank Nayru for my wisdom..." She muttered, looking up to the ceiling.

* * *

Siegfried sat atop a small rock, on the bottom level of the Goron City, as Link was being bandaged in Goron's infirmary. They had only just arrived in the city, and walking up the steep mountain had taken a lot out of him. He had fought with Soul Edge, killed a dragon, and was the cause of the Evil Seed, yet somehow, walking up a steep mountain with a sword as large as he, in full armor, tired him out. It stumped him.

Tira was leaning against the wall opposite oh him, looking up at the large vase-like structure in the middle of the city. It was an oddity to both of them. The most odd part was the fact it had a face on it, similar to the expression most Goron's seemed to have. A happy, almost blissfully ignorant, smile. Tira groaned, tossing her ringblade in the air, and catching it as it fell. As she did so, she periodically looked over to the room where Link was. The city had no doors to separate any housings, so they could clearly see into the room. But all patients had curtains hanging around them, to give them some privacy.

They had only been there for a few minutes, and Tira was bored. She was close to just ripping out someone's throat. _Not sure if I could with those Gorons,_ She thought to herself, glaring at Siegfried, _And, knowing high-and-mighty over there, I won't get the chance. Elf boy better hurry the hell up._

Siegfried caught Tira's glare with his own, but looked to the city's ceiling, which felt odd to him, that a city would have a ceiling. He could wait a while for Link to get out of there. Of course, he was wondering what he was doing staying here in the first place. It seemed almost random. He was mostly doing so because of Tira, as he knew her as a crazed maniac who would kill without the slightest provocation. There were other reasons of course. If Nightmare and Soul Edge hadn't been destroyed, they would undoubtedly look for their little soul gatherer, Tira. He almost pitied her. She was psychotic, loved killing, and served a sword.

Looking over to the room where Link was, Siegfried pondered on _why _there were no doors in the city. It couldn't be hard for them to open them, but maybe it was manufacturing them that was troubling. Rock doors didn't seem all too stylish, and wooden doors would easily brake after being used. As he thought, he noticed Link coming out of the room, smiling, as he scratched the back of his head, the large gash that was once on his shoulder unable to be seen under his tunic, even with the rip on the shoulder. Tira wondered how her little piece of art was, but had one question to ask before feeling that she needed to see it.

"What took ya?" Tira questioned, crossing her arms.

Link replied hesitantly, not entirely sure how a few minutes got him a 'what took ya'. "Well... it often takes the red potion a few seconds to start taking affect."

Tira let her mouth drop for a moment, going to reply, then stopped herself for a moment. Did she really want to ask a question about the Elf Boy's world? Only a little. And not about the potions.

"Anyway, we should go and get Nibun. The longer we wait, the worse he'll get," as Link spoke, he moved his right shoulder in a few small circles, checking to see if it was 100 percent okay.

Tira's right eye twitched at the sight of him being fully healed. When he said 'bandaged' she thought he meant actual bandages. He seemed entirely healed. She had _just_cut his shoulder, and he was able to regain full mobility. "H-how in hell are you moving you arm!" She bursted, pointing at Link, "I cut through your shoulder! You shouldn't be able to move it!"

"Guess they don't have potions where you came from, either," muttered Link as he gave Tira a blank stare, "But I can explain it, with a few other things, once we're on the road. It can take a few hours to get to Castle Town, so I'll have time to explain."

"And what makes you think I'm coming with you?" Tira asked, grabbing her ringblade and raising it. Siegfried already was gripping his own sword, ready for anything.

"Well, first off, you attacked me, so you're lucky you aren't being imprisoned, also, you've been following me so far, so why wouldn't you be?"

The shades of green of Tira's makeup went nicely with the new shades of red beginning to form on her face, naturally, of course, as she began to clench her teeth and tried to speak through them. Having trouble, she simply turned to the wall, and took her free hand, and punched it.

"Well, I didn't expect you to be so angered by that..." Link trailed off as he looked over to Siegfried, "you know her. Mind explaining?"

"I wish I could, but she's a nutcase, and you can't explain nutcases like her," was the Knight's response as he stood. "I'll tell you this, though, as long as she's here, I'll need to stay."

Link nodded as he walked over to the girl in green, and put a hand on her shoulder. "Well, if you don't want to come, you don't have to, but, mind you, he'll probably go with you, and then I can't stop him from attacking you, and, to tell the truth, I'd find it kinda hard to fight a guy with a sword that big. Puts my blade to shame."

To Link's surprise, and even Siegfried's, when Tira looked over to Link, she didn't seem as mad as they had expected. In fact, she was quite the opposite, seeming almost jovial. "I think I will," She stated, gleefully, as she grabbed Link's hand, and moved it away from her shoulder. Then, she began walking towards the stairs. "Bye-bye," was all she said as began waving goodbye, reaching the stairs.

As he said he would, Siegfried began following. Tira didn't even seem to notice, or care, as she strode for the City's exit.

Link put his hands up for a moment before letting them fall to his side, as he sighed. And he was hoping for some traveling companions. There was one thing, though. The carriage that was needed to carry Nibun to the Castle Town was at the base of the mountain, and there was only one exit, or, at least one that the other two knew of, in the city, which was the one he would be using. That meant they were going the same way, for now.

Link headed for the steps as well, trying to catch up with the two, which, being they were walking up the stairs, wasn't hard. Link caught up quickly, and, as he got close, Siegfried looked over at him, but paid little heed. He had already figured they were going the same way. Tira was still ignoring the two, glancing around the caverns as the finally made it to the top of the steps.

It wasn't long until they were at the exit of the city. By then, Link was already trying to withhold himself from trying to give them reasons to come with him to the castle. They were foreigners, after all. They should, at least, see some of Hyrule's greatest treasures. The Castle, the Queen. He just kept his yapper shut as they descended down the hill...

...Only to be stopped halfway when Tira turned around. "Will you two stop following me!" she yelled, enraged, although the other two found it odd that she would be angry just now, when she had been perfectly fine just before.

"Well, we have to go the same way," Link explained, walking past her. "Anyway. Nibun's still waiting, so I have to go."

Tira frowned, following. She would have to get rid of this guy soon, he was becoming a pain.

They made it all the way down the mountain in mere minutes, stepping past the gates into Kakariko village. It was peaceful as usual, as a slight breeze turned the windmill. It was truly tranquil, the townsfolk doing their jobs, whether it was carpentry, or watching the Cuckoo nests. Link always liked the small village.

Link looked around, before spotting Darunia near the western entrance of the village, next to a wooden sign that read 'Kakariko Village'.

Link sped up towards his brother. "So, is Nibun ready?" he asked, hoping that he would't hear anything along the lines of 'yes, but he has gotten worse'.

"Yes. Thankfully, his sickness, whatever it is ailing him, doesn't seem to be progressing. He's unconscious, and there's this vibe about him. I don't like it. It feels... wrong. Evil, even," Darunia elucidated as he turned to the stairway that led to Hyrule Field. "Come on. We have no time to waste."

Link nodded as he followed, the other two not far behind, although they knew it would be time to part ways. Tira, was humming gleefully as they headed down the steps, thinking of lyrics to go with her tune as she walked.

As the four made it down to Hyrule fields, they heard a low moaning sound, something ghostly. Darunia, already knowing what it was, showed little emotion. Link was curious, and had a guess as to what it was, while Tira and Siegfried cared little about the sound. Tira, in fact, was too busy looking at a nearby river to care. She had thought she had seen something. _I must be going crazy,_ she told herself.

Darunia stopped at the side of a large caravan, with two horse's at the front, eating some grass. Link looked into the caravan, and saw Nibun, laying on a mat with a tan blanket over him. He was moaning as he writhed around, in unbearable pain, as he twisted and turned, asleep. Link frowned as he looked to the other two. "Well, I guess this is goodbye," He stated.

Link's statement was responded with silence. Siegfried didn't peak, and Tira... she was staring into the caravan. She took a step towards it, as she mumbled something inaudible. She seemed mesmerized by something, as she jumped in the caravan, crawling towards Nibun. "That... presence..." She whispered as she put a hand on the still writhing goron. Suddenly, Nibun stopped tossing and turning, as f calmed down. "Yes," Tira began, "That is it." Turning the goron onto his stomach she put his hand on his back. "It's stuck!" She yelled, annoyed.

Link scratched his face, wearing a dumbfounded look, as he witnessed this. "Um, mind explaining?" He asked Siegfried, hoping he would have an answer.

"I don't have one," He answered, "But I can guess." Siegfried put a hand on the caravan's floor, before jumping in. For a second, he was surprised he hadn't broken the floor, with all his armor, but then remembered that this thing had a goron in it, so it had to be strong enough to carry him. Making his way towards Tira, he looked down at the goron, scowling as he felt a familiar presence. _It can't be..._He didn't believe what he was feeling as he saw something on the goron's back. Tira was pulling on it, in vain, to take it out. It was a small, red, stone.

Siegfried quickly looked back to Link, and called, "You might want to see this!"

Link's dumbfounded look didn't go away as he heard this, climbing into the caravan. "What?" he asked, looking over Siegfried's shoulder, and seeing the red stone. He didn't need to ask why this thing was so important, he could figure it out, himself. This was what had caused Nibun to be ill, he was sure. He didn't know what it was, but he already had instant dislike of it.

"It's a fragment of Soul Edge," Tira said quietly as she kept trying to pull it out.

"Soul Edge?" Link asked, looking over at Tira. "What's a Soul Edge?"

Siegfried sighed, putting a hand to his head as he began to realize what this meant. Muttering curses, he made his way to the edge of the caravan. "Soul Edge... is a weapon. An evil weapon."

Link turned to Siegfried, biting his tongue lightly as he heard that. He didn't like the idea of 'evil' anything. "A weapon? Well, if that's a piece of soul edge, than I take it, it's broken."

"Yeah, but even when broken, it's still powerful. And that's a shard right there." Siegfried looked over his shoulder, "You can stop trying to pull it out, Tira. You of all people should know how hard it is to take it out. We'll need someone who's powerful to take it out."

"Good thing we're going to the castle," Link said, beginning to grin, "If anyone can take it out, it's Zelda."

Chapter six: On towards the castle!

Can Zelda really take out the fragment?

* * *

Okay, first off, I am VERY sorry for the wait. A month! Yikes. I'm not going to bother with excuses, but I do hope this never happens again...

And, yeah, this chapter is a bit on the slow side. The plot wasn't furthered too much in this chapter, except the end, which I was hoping was ogoing to be a bit longer... but... well, I didn't want another 5,000 word long chapter. 3,00 is good enough for me.


End file.
